The Soapranos? HBO's Favorite Dysfunctional Family

By Jonathan Berohn

Every two or three years, when the new "The Sopranos" hits the small screen, the show’s legions of fans whip up quite a frenzy of anticipation. OK—so it’s not quite that long. In fact this year’s new offering is almost sort of on time. Good news for Sopranos’ fans everywhere. But the actual verdict on the show (sorry about the pun) is still out.

Drama and Melodrama

If you became a Sopranos fan last season, there’s more of what you’ve come to expect—lots of strife in the family and a healthy dose of violence among the mobsters. If you’ve been onboard since the beginning, however, you might notice that the mob intrigue you tuned in to see has at least been overtaken by the family squabbling and upheaval. And bizarre squabbling and upheaval it is, worthy of—you guessed it—a soap opera rather than a hit crime family drama.

New this Season

Now don’t get me wrong, the Sopranos has always been at least as much about characters as it has been about mob violence. In fact, much of that tradition carries on strongly. Notably, Steve Buscemi gives his customary outstanding effort as Tony’s cousin (also named Tony). The struggle of Buscemi’s Tony trying to turn over a new leaf and go straight after years in prison is one of the season’s highlights. Unfortunately we’re also saddled with plenty of the same old low lights that crept in last year.

Not only is Carmella still on the outs with Tony, she’s now taken her other man fantasies to reality. At the same time, Tony encounters his father’s old mistress while at a burial for another old mobster (she wasn’t attending—she just happened to be there…please). If that’s not enough for you, there’s a little bit of chemistry and a whole lot of strife between Tony and his nephew Christopher’s fiancé Adrianna. Oh—and I forgot to mention Janice Soprano’s new role as a wife and mother who ridicules her step son for wetting himself—stirring stuff there.

The Plus Side

On the other hand, the extended and repeated descents into marital and familial agony do have the happy side effect of making the mob action that much more exciting. And the powers that be finally had the sense to bring back Tony’s sessions with Dr. Malfi—albeit far less often than they deserve. At its heart, “The Soprano’s” is about Tony’s struggle to come to terms with who he is and what he does. The farther the show strays from that, the more it loses it's way. Let’s hope they wise up before it’s too late.

For More Information:

The Sopranos airs on Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern on HBO. You can find more information at http://www.hbo.com/sopranos.